Office of Arts & Cultural Vitality

About the Office of Arts & Cultural Vitality

The arts are essential to Tacoma - enlivening its downtown core, contributing to the livability of its neighborhoods, and enhancing the quality of life of its residents and visitors.

The Tacoma Arts Commission and its staff play a vital role in supporting Tacoma's arts and cultural programs. They encourage the development of the local arts community through the administration of arts and cultural funding programs, managing the City's public art collection, and producing a variety of public programs that enhance and contribute to Tacoma's local economy.

Inclusion, Equity, and Access

The Tacoma Arts Commission strongly supports inclusion, equity, and access. We celebrate Tacoma’s diversity of people, places, cultures, and artistic expression. Diversity and heritage are points of pride, permeating Tacoma’s rich arts scene and giving character to its neighborhoods. The arts are uniquely positioned to touch every person and every part of Tacoma, and we are committed to supporting the entirety of our community.

For more on current and ongoing efforts, please read the city’s Tacoma2025 plan (specifically Priority 5: Arts and Cultural Vitality) and the Office of Arts & Cultural Vitality’s ArtFull Tacoma (Strategy 2: Promote equity, diversity, and inclusiveness through the arts).

Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 Study

In 2016, the City of Tacoma's Office of Arts & Cultural Vitality participated in a national study called Arts & Economic Prosperity 5. The study documented the economic impact that nonprofit arts and culture organizations, and their audiences, have on the economy, both locally and nationally.

ArtFull Tacoma

In July 2016, the Tacoma City Council adopted ArtFull Tacoma, a five-year strategic plan to direct the work of the Office of Arts & Cultural Vitality and the Tacoma Arts Commission and ensure alignment with Tacoma 2025, the City of Tacoma's strategic plan.